Chapter 571: Chapter 51: Soul Interrogation

From the conclusion, Qin Qianbai’s plea for help was met with a straightforward response.

“Go for it, darling, you need to go for it, oh!!” Kardesia scolded, sounding as if she were chastising someone for their folly, “Such a good opportunity! Even a block of wood would sprout roots now!! Yet here you are pulling back right at the last moment, playing for time with strategies like playing hard to get. You need to be on the offensive!!”

“…”

Miss buried her face in her arms, whispering softly, “I’m considering his feelings…”

“It’s been three years, Little Qian, I’ve only known Lianyi a shorter time than you do, and we’re already an item!” To reinforce her argument, the hat-wearing lady didn’t shy away from using herself as an example, “Up to this point, being gentle, considerate, and understanding are no longer the focus. You’ve known each other so well that it’s become second nature. Ah! You’re just one kick away from the goal, yet here you are, sitting in front of it drinking tea for three years! This can’t possibly be a problem on his side alone, can it!”

Qin Qianbai hemmed and hawed, “Ah Ce’s personality and views on love are very… I worry if I go on the offensive, he will reject me resolutely because of his perverse personality, or agree unwillingly, and also…”

The hat-wearing lady seized her close friend’s shoulders, pushing her onto a seat and then slap, squeezed her face with both hands.

Kardesia’s remark was pointed, “Darling, you’re just chickening out.”

“…Mmph.”

“Bring out even a tenth of the vigor you have when you fight!” Kardesia implored with tough love, “Imagine him as an enemy you must beat down! Use your Secret Skill to unleash the Invincible Super ‘I love you’!!”

Qin Qianbai’s face reddened slightly, “How could it be proper for a lady to speak first…”

“If you keep on dragging your feet like this, you really won’t get another three years!”

·

From the conclusion, Gongsun Ce’s request for assistance was met with a dragging response.

The location was Mo Yuankai’s living room, and the attendees were Gongsun Ce, Mo Yuankai, and Shiyu Lianyi. The young man with gray hair sat between his two close friends on a small sofa, both with stern expressions. Gongsun Ce sat in the middle of the long couch, seemingly on trial as if in court, with the elder brother playing the role of a priest judge bear-headed, while Mr. Shiyu was the unwell-intentioned prosecutor.

Judge Mo set down three cups of milk tea on the table and knocked his own large, less-sugar pearl milk tea with milk cap on the table like a gavel, “Ah Ce, do you have anything to say?”

Mr. Shiyu picked up his oolong milk tea, “We’re all waiting for you, Gongsun.”

Gongsun Ce grabbed the chestnut milk tea and drank half of it in one go, steadying himself before speaking under their piercing gaze.

“You guys think, is there a possibility, I mean just a possibility.” Gongsun Ce carefully broached a ludicrous speculation, “Could Miss… like me?”

No sooner had Mo Yuankai taken a sip of his milk tea than he erupted into a series of exceptionally loud coughs, began to pound on his chest, and then accidentally rolled off the sofa onto the floor.

The expression on Shiyu Lianyi’s face changed from serious to laughing. His eyes were very serious, but his mouth couldn’t stop a smile from breaking through the blockade of his intention, as if he were a contestant struggling to contain laughter in a ‘try not to laugh’ challenge.

“Can’t you guys show me a little respect!” Gongsun Ce shouted in annoyance.

“Gahaha!” Mo Yuankai’s cough transformed first into laughter.

Shiyu Lianyi was trying to speak, “Cough, Gongsun, I mean, haha, this situation, hahaha, what I mean is, hahahahaha…”

He covered his face, rolling on the sofa in laughter, joining Mo Yuankai in a duet of joy.

After around three minutes, when the two had finished laughing until their stomachs hurt, Gongsun Ce, with a glowering face, asked, “Were you trolling me?”

“What triggered you to think like this? Let’s not talk about that; I’m mainly interested in the likelihood of the question I asked.”

Mr. Shiyu, having regained some composure, said, “Gongsun, compared to the question you asked, I think there’s another matter worthy of further consideration.”

“Is there anything more important than this?!” Gongsun Ce asked in astonishment.

The elder brother coughed twice and solemnly declared, “Certainly, there is, Ah Ce. It’s not whether the girl likes you or not that’s important; what’s most important is whether you like her, right?”

Shiyu Lianyi chimed in on the topic, “If you, Gongsun, also have feelings, we would be more than happy to provide advice and strategy for you. However, if you yourself have no inclination towards romance, no matter how accurate an analysis we outsiders provide, it’s meaningless for you personally.”

Gongsun Ce scratched his head in confusion, “Does my own… does that matter?”

Mo Yuankai became serious, “It’s very important, Ah Ce. Love is a two-person affair. If you can’t even make clear what you feel, just relying on others’ thoughts for judgment won’t work out.”

His own feelings…

Did he like that girl?

Gongsun Ce couldn’t find an answer. He felt the answer must exist in his heart, but he couldn’t voice it, no matter how hard he tried.

He had always been a person unworthy of love from others, and had also always lacked the capacity to bring happiness to others. What right did such a person have to speak of love?

Gongsun Ce felt his spirit twist like a knotted rope. His nature, which had allowed him to survive until now, clashed fiercely with the unclear answer that existed somewhere within him. The conflict wasn’t like telekinesis and white matter, where a spiral compromise could be reached. These two thoughts, emanating from the same source but repelling each other, seemed determined to fight it out, intent on tearing his spirit apart and not stopping until they had completely destroyed the battlefield.

Amid this almost painful entanglement, a feeling both foreign and familiar emerged. A trivial fear grew stronger. For an instant, Gongsun Ce felt an inexplicable urge to hide himself away in a dark corner, isolating himself from the world and living his life – it seemed like the best way to live.